Mosques & necropolis

Bibi Khanym

The Jahogir put on an amazing breakfast this morning of hot items, lots of fruit and cakes/sweets.  I don’t understand how the fruit here tastes so good compared to New Zealand.  The nectarines and cantaloupe were dripping and super sweet.

I walked to the Bibi Khanym mosque taking shade whenever it was possible as it was already hot around 0900.  The tall façade conceals a large turquoise dome behind it.  And the well-restored exterior betrays the crumbling interior which was off-limits.  That hasn’t changed since my last visit 7 years ago.

The mosque was built in the 14^th Century by Emperor Timur for his wife Bibi Khanym, who was buried in the mausoleum across the road.  The ticket mausoleum was disproportionately bad value compared to the mosque as the visit only lasted minutes.

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Hazrat Khizr Mosque

This mosque makes a lovely stop between Bibi Khanym and the necropolis of Shah-i-Zinda.  It has a colourful balcony which looks out back at Bibi Khanym.

As it was a functioning mosque, it was free and I didn’t intrude by going inside.  In the courtyard was the mausoleum of the first President Islam Karimov.

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Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis

The necropolis of Shah-i-Zinda was nearby and I tried to take a shortcut through the contemporary section of just normal graveyards.

It kinda worked well enough to get me to the paid mausoleum area from the 14^th to 15^th centuries (even though there are some as old as the 11^th century though).

The mausoleums were mostly stunning from the outside.  From the inside though, some were equally stunning while some were remarkably bare.

Interior-wise, Shodimulk Oqo Mausoleum, built by Emperor Temur for his sister Shodimulk Oqo, is probably considered the most beautiful.

Reviewing photos from 7 years ago, I realised that I had sought more interesting angles for various shots last time during an autumn visit.  This time, the heat was taking away some interest.

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St Daniel’s Tomb

I took a Yandex to the mausoleum of St Daniel in the outskirts of the city, set below some rocky cliffs.

Six sites in the world claim to have the remains of the 6^th Century saint:  3 in Iraq, 2 in Iran and 1 here in Samarkand.

According to one legend, the length of the holy remains increase from year to year. Others argue that the tomb is made long (18m), so no one can accurately find the location of the remains and steal them.

I kept cool for the rest of the day in my room and finished the evening with an after-dinner walk near the Registan with an ice-cream at cheap Uzbek prices.

St Daniel’s Tomb.